Search form

Greenland Education Tour

What Are They Doing?

The expedition members spent five days learning about the research conducted in Greenland, the logistics involved in supporting the research, and had first-hand experience conducting experiments and developing inquiry-based educational activities. The project tied in with the international network Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), supported by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and GLOBE sponsors around the world.

The group arrived in the coastal town of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on June 18th, where they toured the research infrastructure that supports Danish, U.S., and other international research projects. Tuesday, On June 19th the group flew to Summit Camp at the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet to learn about the research conducted at the Greenland Environmental Observatory at Summit (GEOSummit).

Teachers and students participated in data collection for some of the large and ongoing projects, measuring the sun reflectance off the snow and the interaction between the snow and the atmosphere. The team experimented with pieces of ice cores to examine the layers and gasses trapped as bubbles in the ice, preserved as atmospheric time capsules representing the year they were trapped. They examined snow-pits and used instruments that collect environmental measurements year-round. After their overnight stay at Summit Camp, the group returned to Kangerlussuaq where they took a closer look at water run-off from the ice sheet and the corresponding stream ecology.

Where Are They?

The group traveled to Kangerlussuaq on the west coast of Greenland and then to Summit Camp at the peak of the Greenland Ice Sheet, atop 3200 m of ice. Summit Station is a year-round arctic sampling station funded by the National Science Foundation.

This site is supported by the National Science Foundation under award 0956825.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this site are those of the PIs and coordinating team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.